Ms. Kay's Health Class
|How to Perform a Breast Self-Examination | |
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|Breast development is usually a sign that a girl is entering puberty. Most girls' breasts start to develop before their first periods. During | |
|puberty, every girl's breasts go through regular changes. As you grow and develop, you may notice small lumps and other changes in your | |
|breasts, and during your period, you may find your breasts are sensitive and tender. Most of these developments are totally normal. | |
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|Getting into the habit of examining your breasts when you're still in your teens can help you get used to the way they normally look and feel. | |
|When you become familiar with them, it will be easier to recognize anything unusual. | |
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|Why Do I Need Breast Exams? | |
|If you go for an annual checkup with a doctor, he or she will likely examine your breasts to evaluate your development and ensure that all | |
|changes are normal. Your doctor may recommend that you get into the practice of examining your breasts yourself — called a breast | |
|self-examination (BSE) — and can show you how to do this. | |
| | |
|A BSE can help women detect cysts or other benign (noncancerous) breast problems between checkups. It can also help some women detect breast | |
|cancer — a disease that's extremely rare among teens. | |
| | |
|It's easy to perform a breast self-examination, and it only takes a few minutes. Although it might seem strange or inconvenient at first, BSE | |
|is a skill you can use throughout your life to help ensure good breast health. | |
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|How Do I Examine My Breasts? | |
|It's a good idea to examine your breasts once a month, and it makes sense to choose the same time each month because breasts usually change | |
|with the menstrual cycle. The best time to do a BSE is about a week after your period starts. | |
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|There are two parts to a BSE: | |
|how your breasts look | |
|how they feel | |
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|The looking part is easy. Before you put on a bra, stand or sit in front of a mirror with your arms relaxed at your sides. Make sure you are in| |
|a place with good lighting. Look at your breasts carefully. Do you see anything unusual, like a change in the way your nipples look? Any | |
|dimples or changes in the skin? | |
| | |
|Then look at yourself from different angles and arm positions. Keep your hands at your sides, raise your arms overhead, place your hands firmly| |
|on your hips (to tighten your chest wall muscles), and bend forward. Watch for dimples or changes in the skin. Everyone's breasts look | |
|different. Get to know what yours look like. | |
| | |
|The next part is how your breasts feel. It may seem strange at first to handle your breasts. Some girls feel self-conscious about it, but | |
|there's no reason to feel guilty or awkward. BSE is a positive way to stay healthy. | |
| | |
|Lie down flat on your back, with a pillow or towel under one shoulder. Put that arm under your head. Examine your breasts one at a time. If | |
|you're starting with your right breast, put a pillow under your right shoulder, raise your right arm, place your right hand behind your head, | |
|and use your left hand to feel your breast. | |
| | |
|Using the pads of your three middle fingers, move your fingers in in overlapping circular motions about the size of a dime. Move up and down | |
|from the outside of the breast (under your armpit) toward the middle of your chest, making sure to cover every area of the breast. Examine up | |
|to your collarbone and down to the bottom of the ribcage. Notice what feels normal and what may feel different from the last time you examined | |
|your breasts. | |
| | |
|Use different levels of pressure — light, medium, and firm — to feel each part of your breast. This will allow you to feel the various layers | |
|of tissue in the breast. Start with light pressure, increase to medium pressure, and finish with firm pressure to feel the deepest tissue. When| |
|you have covered the entire breast, use your finger and thumb to gently squeeze your nipple, watching for any discharge. Then put your left arm| |
|behind your head and check your left breast the same way. | |
| | |
|While you're doing the exam, it's a good idea not to take your hand off your breast so you don't miss a spot. You should also check your | |
|armpits for any lumps. Girls who have large breasts should also feel their breasts from the side, while lying on one side and then the other. | |
| | |
|As you feel your breasts, you may notice lumps or bumps. This is usually normal — just like so many things about people, breasts are unique. | |
|Some girls' breasts are large, some are small; some are symmetrical, others are not. Some healthy breasts feel really bumpy, whereas others are| |
|less so. Most teens have healthy breasts no matter what they look or feel like. But if you're worried about the way your breasts look or feel, | |
|let your doctor know. | |
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|Warning Signs | |
|If you feel an unusual lump in your breast, don't panic — breast cancer is extremely rare in teens. In fact, among teen girls, the most common | |
|type of breast lump is usually related to normal breast growth and development. Other common conditions can cause a breast lump, such as a | |
|noncancerous growth known as a fibroadenoma, and small, fluid-filled cysts that tend to vary in size with a girl's menstrual cycle and are | |
|called fibrocystic breast changes. | |
| | |
|Fibrocystic breast changes are common. In fact more than half of all women have them. They're related to the normal cycling of hormones | |
|associated with menstruation. Fibrocystic breast changes are typically worse just before and at the start of a girl's period. | |
| | |
|If you feel a lump in your breast, talk to your doctor to see if the cause is one of these common conditions. If you have fibrocystic breast | |
|changes or other breast problems that may make it difficult to perform a good BSE, your doctor can help. | |
|Infections can also cause breast lumps, as can an injury to the breast. | |
| | |
|If you have any of these problems, you should talk to your doctor: | |
|pain in your breast that seems unrelated to your period | |
|a new lump, bump, or other change in your breast | |
|a red, hot, or swollen breast | |
|fluid or bloody discharge from your nipple | |
|a lump in your armpit or near your collarbone | |
|any questions or concerns about your breasts | |
| | |
|The goal of a BSE is for you to get used to the way your breasts feel. The better you know your body, the healthier you can be! | |
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